Compass
by kireira
Summary: [Idiot, we don't need a compass. The sun is right over there,] Gojyo pointed. Hints at 39, with Gaiden reference.


_Author Notes:_

Requires familiarity with Gaiden -- first chapter and its connection to Saiyuki. Warning for one little innuendo. And oh, usual disclaimers. Other than that, enjoy :)

* * *

**Compass**

..

.

"The compass is not working," Goku said, and he shook the thing.

"Is it now?" Hakkai asked, keeping one eye on the road. "Well, it is old."

"Idiot, we don't need a compass. The sun is right over there," Gojyo pointed.

"Well yeah, but it seems a waste not to use it since we have it."

Gojyo reached over and took the device from Goku's hand. "The needle's pointing somewhere between North and West..." He snickered. "Maybe it got confused following us."

Goku snatched it back. "It's supposed to turn along when you turn it like this, right?"

"Hey, monkey, it's rude to grab things while other people are still looking at them!"

Goku made a face at him. "Like you're one to speak, kappa."

The shouting and snatching went on for some while, as usual.

"Now, now..." Hakkai said simply, actually counting on Sanzo to resolve the battle, as usual.

Sanzo turned to the back seat and delivered two good whacks on the head.

"Hey!"

"Ow! Sanzo, that hurts!"

"Give me that."

"But--!"

Sanzo glared, and Goku meekly put the object of conflict in the outstretched hand.

Sanzo turned back, and made a move to throw it to the wind.

"Ah! Sanzoooo!"

Sanzo twitched. The monkey had instantly climbed all over his shoulders, trying to reach for his hand.

"Don't throw it away! I'll be quiet with it! Sanzo, please?"

"Get off me!"

"Sanzo..." Goku whined and pulled on the robe, almost choking Sanzo with the sutra.

Sanzo grunted, and shoved the compass inside his robe. "I will keep it. Make another noise over it and it's gone."

"Ah," Goku smiled happily, and slid back to his seat.

"Easy to please, aren't we," Gojyo commented, leaning back.

"Gojyo..." Hakkai reminded, glancing over to his side. But Goku hadn't caught Gojyo's words and didn't follow up, so Sanzo too remained peaceful.

"Surprisingly easy to persuade, too," Gojyo added with a snort.

"What?" Goku asked curiously.

Gojyo grinned, a mischief popping into his mind. "I'm saying it's good for you that Sanzo keeps the compass."

"Eh? Why?"

The grin grew wider. "You see, it makes for an interesting foreplay--"

"Well, he's the sort-of leader," Hakkai answered quickly, and shot Gojyo a reprimanding look. "So, ah... symbolically, that fits. We follow where he goes."

"Oh," Goku considered it.

"Stupid, you don't follow compasses that way," Sanzo was not pleased with the prospect of being pestered more than he already was. "Don't fill his head with weird ideas."

"But we _are_ following you, Sanzo," Goku said.

"Just you, monkey," Gojyo waved. "Hakkai and I, we're just travelling together towards the same direction as the monk."

"I don't see the difference," Goku was confused.

"The level of obsession is different."

"Level of what?" The word wasn't in his vocabulary.

Sanzo turned around and aim the gun at Gojyo's forehead.

"Whoa," Gojyo immediately raised his hands in surrender.

Goku blinked.

"Shut. Up."

"Okay, okay," Gojyo sweated, and the gun was pulled away.

Goku looked like he wanted to ask, so Hakkai was glad to announce that they had arrived at the town, and quickly took him to the nearest food stall.

Gojyo followed behind, muttering to himself. "Really. He should thank me for filling in the part of the brat's education that he has missed..."

He heard a gun click from behind, but now that he was outside the jeep with plenty of room to dodge bullets, he turned a raised eyebrow to the monk and went on, "...which shouldn't be that taboo considering the fact that _you_ get what I meant when I said that, eh, Sanzo."

Sanzo glared, but did nothing with the firearm, probably thanks to the crowd around them, so all was good.

They were nearing the stall, and caught the last part of Goku's question, "...but you're the one holding the map, and if we are actually following the map, then..."

"Well," Hakkai said patiently, "The one with the map is more like... the manager. The leader sets the direction, and the manager makes sure everyone gets there. That's how a team works."

Goku munched on his bun. "So Sanzo points at the sunset and you look it up on the map and drive us there."

"Sort of," Hakkai replied, deciding to overlook the little semantic problem in that analogy.

"So that's why Sanzo is like the compass," Goku looked satisfied.

"That's right," Gojyo piped up. "Someone who sits around all day and tells people what to do-- ouch!"

Sanzo huffed. "If you've got the food, we're heading to the inn _now_."

"Yes, yes," Hakkai smiled, and walked with him.

Goku was looking thoughtful again. "But in our case we're not using a compass, because we can tell from where the sun is," he said. "So Sanzo is more like, the sun?"

Something in Sanzo's mind clicked, and he tripped on his own foot.

.

..


End file.
